1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for mounting a disk drive in or on a computer chassis, and more particularly pertains to a new disk drive mounting system that facilitates simple installation and removal of the disk drive on a computer chassis with minimal effort.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known hard disk drive mounting systems typically include some type of external latch to be locked in place after the disk drive has been inserted into place in the drive support cage of the computer chassis (and conversely the latch must be released when the disk drive is to be removed from the cage). Installation of the disk drive thus requires the completion of a two step process: inserting the disk drive into the cage and then locking the latch. Unfortunately, the step of locking the latch during assembly of the computer may sometimes be forgotten, which can cause dislodging of the disk drive during shipping and damage to the computer. Removal of the disk drive from the cage requires also a two step process typically performed in separate motions.
To avoid the two step process, other known systems employ a carrier that mounts on the hard disk drive and inserts into the cage as a unit. While two distinct steps for removing the disk drive are avoided, the assembler must still use two hands to release the carrier from the cage and then pull the carrier and disk drive from the cage. Thus, while an improvement on the two step installation and removal processes, this system is still believed to be overly complex and requires too much effort by the assembler. In the highly competitive area of computer manufacture, even a small amount of additional time and/or effort spent on assembling each computer unit is magnified when a production line of hundreds or thousands of units is considered, and therefore it is believed that an improvement in this process that further streamlines the disk drive mounting process is desirable for the significant cost benefits achievable over the many units typically manufactured.